Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart.
And He was transfigured before them:
And His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became white as the light.
And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with Him.
And Peter answered and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if Thou wilt, I will make here three tabernacles; one for Thee, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
While he was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.
And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, save Jesus only.
And the God of all grace, Who called you unto His eternal glory in Christ, after that ye have suffered a little while, shall Himself perfect, establish, strengthen you. To Him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
—1 Peter 5:10-11
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial among you, which cometh upon you to prove you, as though a strange thing happened unto you:
But insomuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of His glory also ye may rejoice with exceeding joy.
—1 Peter 4:12-13
The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.
—1 Peter 5:1
Beloved Lord, we are so thankful that we are found here in Your presence this evening. We ask You, Lord, that You will surround this time with Your power, and that You will touch every one of our hearts and lives.
We want very simply now to recognize that without You we can do nothing. We can speak many words, outline truths, give sound doctrine; but, Lord, unless You are here, and Your anointing is upon both the speaking and the hearing, then, Lord, it will all be to no avail.
But, Lord, You are here. And You have provided an anointing for us, which You dearly won at Calvary, and which the Holy Spirit makes a living reality and experience to each one of us.
For the speaking of Your Word and for the hearing of Your Word, we stand by faith in that anointing, that we may, Lord, know You in our hearts—touching us, changing us—that we may not be able to be the same again. Hear us, Lord, for we ask all this in the name of our Messiah, the Lord Jesus. Amen.
I had no word at all for this conference until a few days ago. I had learned over years not to cook up messages. It is a very easy thing, if you have the gift of the gab and a certain knowledge of the Bible, to work things up. The result is always sad—and boring.
And I waited for the Lord, and finally into my heart He breathed this word:
The God of all grace, Who called you unto His eternal glory in Christ.
—1 Peter 5:10
The God of all grace, Who called you unto His eternal glory in Christ.
In my estimation, there is no substitute word for the word glory. Some modern persons have used the word splendour. Some have suggested the word magnificence. At other times they have sought to translate this word, both in Hebrew and Greek, by the word honour.
Actually, now and again it can be translated as honour. But none of these words conveys the real meaning of glory. We have to leave it as glory, and the Holy Spirit has to reveal to us what glory is.
It is the same with grace. Once you start to substitute the words “unmerited favour,” you have done damage, I think, to the word grace. It is such a mouthful anyway.
I notice over here in the States that you like long words. Whether this is a kind of conscience about the way the English language has been murdered, I do not know. Instead of rainfall, you use precipitation; instead of wind, you use philosophy—and so many other horribly Latinized words instead of good Anglo-Saxon words.
But grace has to be revealed to you. No amount of words can actually convey the word grace. Only God can reveal to the human heart what grace really means. And it is the same with glory.
The Spirit of God has to take this word, this truth, this reality, and reveal it to us so that it becomes part of our own being.
What is glory?
You will remember in Exodus 40, in the very last words of that chapter, that when the tabernacle was reared up and everything was in place, it reads like this:
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
—Exodus 40:34-35
Again, if you turn to 2 Chronicles 5, when the temple of the Lord was built and completed, everything was in place, and the ark of the Lord had been brought into it, then it says:
It came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good; for His lovingkindness endureth for ever; that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord,
So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
—2 Chronicles 5:13-14
What is glory? We often think of glory as the president pinning medals on chests—rewards, as it were, for battles won or bravery, whether in the army or in civilian life. But glory is not a medal being pinned on the chest, with the band playing and wonderful, rousing anthems sounding.
What is glory? The Lord will sometimes speak to us, but He does not always manifest His presence. He can actually work without manifesting His presence. But when He manifests His presence, that is glory.
So here you had the most extraordinary thing. The presence of the Lord had been with the people, had spoken with Moses, and had performed many acts in delivering them from Egypt and keeping them. But now the presence of the Lord was manifested, and the tabernacle was filled with the glory of the Lord. No one could stand; no one could enter.
It was the same with the temple. God did so many things through King David in all the preparation for the temple and in the defeating of the enemies of God. But when the temple was finally complete and the ark was brought in, then the presence of the Lord was manifested.
So, as I see it, glory is the presence of the Lord manifested.
For instance, we have a wonderful word in Acts 7:2:
The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran.
—Acts 7:2
Is that just a title for the Lord? What does it mean? The God of glory appeared to Abraham.
He came, according to our tradition, from one of the great Babylonian complexes of cities. Ur was the city in which he had actually lived. Again, according to our tradition, his family was in charge of idol-making—no small lucrative business.
Every corner of every street had an idol. Every home had a household god and a kitchen god. Idols everywhere—here, there, and everywhere. It was a very lucrative business to be in. Everyone needed an idol. The wheel of life could not go round without idols, and temples were built to fulfil the worship of idols.
And then the God of glory appeared to Abraham.
When God manifested His presence, something happened to Abraham that was to change history. It was never the same again. For him, all of Ur of the Chaldees, money-making, and all the rest of it faded into insignificance. It was the glory of the Lord, the God of glory, that appeared to him.
He went out, not knowing where he was going, except that the Lord had told him to go. You know the rest of the story.
Or I think again of Moses. You know, the Lord actually spoke with Moses. In one place He spoke so gloriously that Moses had to put a veil on his face; the people could not even look at him. It was just so dazzling, so brilliant.
He had seen miracle after miracle. He had seen the ten plagues come on Egypt. He had seen miracles done in the presence of the leader of the greatest superpower in the world at that time. He had seen the Lord bring out the slaves, the children of Israel, from Egypt.
They had seen the Red Sea split in two. They had gone over on dry ground, and then, when Pharaoh’s horses followed swiftly, the sea closed in on them and drowned them.
They had seen the pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night throughout the wilderness. They had seen the manna six days out of seven, and a double portion on the sixth because of the seventh. They had seen the acts of the Lord.
But the extraordinary thing is that this knowledge of the Lord, this receiving of messages from God Himself, inflamed Moses with hunger for more.
In Exodus 33 he said—and I quote the modern version, please:
Show me Thy glory.
—Exodus 33:18
Most children of God, most Christians, would surely say Moses had already seen the glory of God. He had seen the mountain smoke. He had seen fire and heard the voice of God like a trumpet, reverberating and shaking the very ground, so that the people of Israel were on their faces in fear. He had seen the finger of God write the Ten Words on tablets.
You would have said, surely he had seen the glory of God. But Moses knew there was something more. In one sense—and I have to be careful—the other things were peripheral. Essential, yes; fundamental, yes. But Moses said, “Show me Thy glory.”
And the Lord said:
Thou canst not see My face; for man shall not see Me and live.
Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock:
And it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand until I have passed by.
—Exodus 33:20-22
Of course, I think of our Lord Jesus.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us—and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father—full of grace and truth.
—John 1:14
Jesus was the manifested presence of God. He manifested this in the very first miracle He performed, when He turned water into wine at the marriage feast of Cana.
Many Christians wish He had turned wine into water. But He turned water into wine—real wine, not grape juice. The best wine. It is incredible, incredible.
You would hardly say that was manifesting His glory, but it was. Because it was a wedding. And because Jesus was saying, “I have come for a bride.”
The corruptible water of human life can become the incorruptible wine of the Spirit of God. Once the Lord gets into a person, He turns water into wine, not wine into water. Now, there are alcoholics for whom the Lord needs to turn wine into water.
But generally speaking, God turns the corruptible water of our human nature and life into the incorruptible life of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
We beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
—John 1:14
Take another Scripture, in the last book of the Bible, Revelation 21:23:
And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb.
—Revelation 21:23
The glory of God is its light. Now, this is the most interesting thing. We sing hymns about treading the streets of gold and going through the pearly gates. I have no doubt at all that there will be an actual capital city in the coming kingdom of God.
I do not belong to that kind of theology which believes we are all going to float away into space and live forever there, somehow suspended in space, playing harps. I do not find it in my Bible.
This whole idea of heaven that is so prevalent amongst Christians—I cannot find it. People say, “We are going to heaven.” I do not understand what they mean by the whole thing.
From my understanding of the Word of God, Jesus brings us back to this earth. And if you believe in a millennium, it does not disappear, dear. There will be a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.
You and I were not made to live in space. We were created human beings. God has a special design for us.
But this city that we read about—well, I have no doubt there will be a located headquarters where the King is and where His government is, for all eternity. But this city is a symbol, and therefore it is a spiritual reality set forth in form.
The details have significance. There is only one street in this enormous city. The whole thing is gold, transparent as glass. You have never seen gold like that. Who would wear gold if it was transparent? It just does not seem to be gold anymore.
Listen carefully to me: this city is like an electric light. The thing about this city is light. And the light is the glory of God—the manifested presence of God shining out from that city into the darkness. The nations will walk, it says, in the light of it.
The glory of God. No need of sun or moon, because the glory of God is the light.
Well, I hope I have said enough, at least in introduction to this subject. I think it is wonderful. Some people might think, “What is he going to talk about every evening? Is he going to talk about glory—that old-fashioned idea that belongs to Sankey’s hymnbooks? Is that relevant?”
I believe it is very relevant, because that is what I want to talk about this evening: called unto His eternal glory.
Not transient glory. Not a flash, a glorious clap of light, but eternal—permanent, forever, limitless, without end.
Called to His eternal glory in Christ. For this glory we are called, unworthy as we are.
It is the God of all grace Who calls you. I do not know how you view yourself. Some people have a very high estimate of themselves, so when they fall, make a mistake, fail, or even sin, they cannot get over it.
They have an idea that God is so shocked that He is always holding His head in pain, saying, “I would not have chosen them if I had known they could do this kind of thing.”
But God knows the worst about you. He knows your capacity for depravity. Only some of us have a cultural background that keeps us from it. He knows your ability to sin, your ability to be lost in evil. He knows it all—and He saved you. He is the God of all grace.
And unworthy as you are, and as I am—yes, irritating and unprofitable as we are—after all, all of us are nothing but a load of trouble to the Lord.
He could do without us. If I were the Lord, I would have packed the whole thing in right at the beginning. I would not have bothered with anyone. I would have said, “If that is how they feel, if that is the choice they make, let them go. We will annihilate the lot and start again with a new race.”
But you can be thankful that I am not involved. The Lord is very different: full of grace, the God of all grace, Who has called the unworthy, needy race of mankind to His eternal glory in Christ.
I do not know if you realize just how wonderful it is, but it is wonderful.
This is why the apostle Paul, in Ephesians 4, says this about our calling:
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called.
—Ephesians 4:1
Or again, think of 2 Corinthians 4. Listen to these wonderful words. May they have a new meaning for those of you who have known them before:
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them.
For God, Who said, Light shall shine out of darkness, is He Who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
—2 Corinthians 4:4, 6
If you have been saved, it was not your doing. The god of this world has blinded the minds of all who are unsaved, lest they should see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.
But it is God Who said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And over you He said, “Let there be light.” Somehow, into your heart light shone.
You may not put it in these words, but this is the truth and reality: it was the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. There is no other way to be saved.
This is the calling that you and I have.
I know it is hard, because many of you have come on a long journey for this evening. You may be weary and tired. I always say to everybody, “Have a sleep if that is the case. It does not worry me, as long as you do not make any noise.”
But I hope the Lord keeps us all awake and alive, because here is another marvellous verse which causes some people a lot of problems. I do not have any problem with it. It is in Romans 9:23:
That He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He afore prepared unto glory, even us, whom He also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles.
—Romans 9:23-24
Wonderful words. You are a vessel of mercy. It says that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He afore prepared unto glory.
That means long before you were a twinkle in your parents’ eyes, long before you had ever been thought of even by grandparents—or, if you are that kind of family that marries young, great-grandparents—God had made preparation for you.
He prepared you as a vessel of mercy for glory. A vessel of mercy for glory.
Man was originally created—listen carefully to me—man was originally created and designed for the glory of God. Not to the glory of God only, but for glory, for the glory of God.
Now let me try to explain what I mean by this. Man falls short. You all know the Scripture. It is normally used only in evangelistic services, but it says:
For there is no distinction; for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.
—Romans 3:22-23
If I were coming from New York to Los Angeles by air, and the fare were three hundred dollars, and I had two hundred and ninety dollars, I could not get the ticket. It makes no difference whether you had two hundred and ninety dollars or fifty dollars. You have fallen short of the price.
Some people are more noble naturally, more sweet, more decent. But we have all fallen short. All of us.
What have we fallen short of? You say, “Eternal life.” It does not say so, though it has to do with eternal life. “The kingdom of heaven.” It does not say so. We have fallen short of the glory of God. That is what we were created and designed for. We fall short of it through sin.
There is no point to human life without glory. Now I will say it again. Maybe you think, “What is he talking about?”
There is no point to your life, to your being born, without glory. You were designed and created for glory. Without glory, you are an animal.
It may be a shock to some. But you have a temporal life; it has no meaning. You live for time. You live for the things of sense. You live for money, your pet, your career, or something else. But in a moment of time you will be knocked out. Corruption and death make your life pointless.
You can go to Christian meetings, but unless the Spirit of God is doing a work in you, your life is pointless. There is no point to it. You might as well be an animal.
Now, I know that some animal lovers here will be very upset with me. I love animals, and I would like to think that all the ones I have had have passed on to their final reward. But I cannot find anywhere in the Book where it says it.
All I can believe is that God may recreate them somehow. That is the most I can say; it is a little bit of speculation.
But what is not speculation is this: you were created as a human being and designed as a human being for glory. And if you fall short of glory, your life is pointless. It is rubbish.
Which means that when Jesus called hell Gehenna—the valley outside Jerusalem—what He was saying was this: it is the rubbish dump.
If you fall short of the glory of God, your life is rubbish. It is pointless. It has no meaning or significance. You have totally missed the purpose.
Glorified man, not sinful man, lies at the heart of God’s whole universe. Do you realize that?
Let me read to you a passage in Romans 8:18:
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward.
For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God.
For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of Him Who subjected it, in hope,
That the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.
—Romans 8:18-21
That means this universe, this world in which we are found—and which we are making such a mess of—is all waiting.
If we had the kind of hearing that could hear a bush, a tree, a flower, an animal, a bird, and the fish of the sea, we would hear that they are all groaning with travail. They were not responsible for being subjected to futility.
But when man fell short of the glory of God, then he sinned, and the whole earth as we know it, the whole firmament, was subjected to futility. If we had ears to hear, it is all groaning, waiting for the glory of the children of God.
One of our prophets, thousands of years ago, said:
The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
—Habakkuk 2:14
Oh, called to His eternal glory. Does that give a new dimension of understanding to you from the expression, “the God of all grace”?
Can you believe that this God, this living God, is so full of grace that He has called you and me to His eternal glory?
If you know your unworthiness, it is enough to make you weep. If you know how unprofitable you are, you would weep that God loves us so much. He always has the end product in view.
Are we not a difficult people? Well, I can tell you, I have lived long enough amongst the people of God to know that they are difficult people.
Oh, we sometimes like to think how sweet we all are. I do not think there is such a lot of sweetness when one is put under pressure. It vanishes very rapidly.
It is amazing to me that the God of all grace has called you and me to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus.
Now here is another point I want to make: it is in Christ.
The God of all grace, Who called you unto His eternal glory in Christ.
—1 Peter 5:10
There is no glory of God apart from Christ. Oh, the amazing grace and love of God, calling us to share in Christ’s glory. Can you believe it?
Now, the Lord Jesus has a glory which is unique to Him. After all, He is the eternal Son. There is a glory unique to Him which you and I can never share. But there is also a glory that you and I, in Christ, are called to share.
Listen. Let us look at a few Scriptures. First of all, Hebrews 1:3, speaking of the Lord Jesus:
Whom He appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made the worlds;
Who being the effulgence of His glory, and the very image of His substance, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
—Hebrews 1:2-3
“The effulgence of His glory”—it is a terrible word, is it not? Some of your modern versions say “outshining” or “shining.” Actually, it is even more than that. It means radiant outshining.
Jesus is the radiant outshining of glory. And He is the exact image of the substance of God. That means that when I see Jesus by the Spirit of God, I see God. I understand the heart of God. I understand the mind of God. The more I get to know the Lord Jesus, the more I get to know God.
Or again, we have already quoted John 1:14:
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us—and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father—full of grace and truth.
He manifested a kind of glory that He wills us, in the end, to share. It is something so amazing.
Listen to this again in John 17. Some of you know these words well, but perhaps you have not seen them quite in this light.
Jesus prayed:
I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do.
And now, Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.
—John 17:4-5
What amazing words. Now listen, do not close your Bible. Verse 22:
And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given unto them; that they may be one, even as We are one;
I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and lovedst them, even as Thou lovedst Me.
Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory.
—John 17:22-24
Are you one of those given by the Father to the Son? Have you been given by the Father to the Son? Then this word of the Lord Jesus will certainly be answered: that you may share His glory.
That you may become a recipient of His glory. That you may become an outshining of His glory. In other words, you will reach the end for which you were created and designed.
We hardly know what it will mean or what we will do. But it is wonderful just to think about it. Just say, “Hang on!”
I think of Romans 8 again. I hope it is not too much for you on the first evening. Romans 8:15:
For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified with Him.
—Romans 8:15-17
Oh, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. Oh, what a calling you have, dear child of God. Why do you look all the time at the muck, the mire, the filth, the weakness, the sin? Oh, God, You have an incredible calling, an incredible purpose.
You are called to be heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. The Spirit of God has shed abroad in your heart the most intimate word in the human language: “Abba, Father.”
I will talk on another evening about the reason we have to go through suffering, because we are going to be glorified with Him. All I want to say this evening is: what an unbelievable thing is this glory in Christ.
Now, how do you understand the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus? How do you understand this word, transfiguration?
I think most people have no idea about it. Most of them think, although it is one of the great stages in Christ’s ministry—His baptism, His transfiguration, His death—that what happened on the mount was as though a spotlight suddenly shone out of heaven on the Lord Jesus and, as it were, lit Him up.
Nonsense. What is a spotlight, a divine spotlight from heaven, settling around the Lord Jesus so that He seems to be uniquely fearful?
Something happened in the Lord Jesus. Something switched on inside of Him, and suddenly His hair, His skin, His clothes radiated light. That is transfiguration.
There is not a child of God in this place this evening who will not be transfigured when the Lord comes, if we are alive.
In the twinkling of an eye. Think of that—a twinkling of an eye.
This mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption, this corruptible, shall put on incorruption. And we shall be like Him.
—See 1 Corinthians 15:52-53; 1 John 3:2
Oh, child of God, it is hard to take it in. This means that the life of God in us, the Spirit of God Who has come within us, the indwelling of the Lord Jesus Himself—in a moment of time, God will flick a switch, and the glory will be manifested.
You think, “Isn’t that interesting, a kind of experience that we are going to have?” No, because you were meant to have it from the beginning.
When God created, I believe His whole idea was—although He knew it would not happen—that they should eat of the tree of life in the midst of the garden. Then there would have been discipline, perhaps, but they would have been invested with glory.
But they sinned and fell short of the glory of God.
Now the Lord Jesus came onto the stage, not as God but as man. He is the second Man, the last Adam. He stepped onto the scene, and He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.
Adam fell short of the glory of God. Jesus, where Adam fell short and fell, reached the glory of God as Man. Let it sink in.
No, you need not fully understand it. Go back tonight before you fall into bed—and perhaps almost go to sleep before you fall into it—and at least say to the Lord, “Please reveal this. Just show me what this means, this glory in Christ to which You have called me.”
At that point Jesus, as Man—now I am using the word as normally used in Christian culture—could have stepped into heaven. I do not know how else to put it. But He did not.
Having reached the glory of God as Man, He turned around and came down. Symbolically, He met an epileptic lad, one who was terribly afflicted.
Having reached the glory of God as Man, He set His face toward Calvary. Why? Because He wanted, as it says in Hebrews 2:10, to bring many sons unto glory.
He wanted you and me to share His glory. He knew there was no chance unless He went to the cross.
Well, I do not know how much all this means to you. Is it any wonder that in 1 Corinthians 2:8 the Lord Jesus is called the Lord of glory?
Well, I am nearly finished. This I normally say twenty minutes before I finish, but I am nearly finished. I want to say one last thing.
If you and I have been called to God’s eternal glory, if it is the God of all grace Who has called us, and if this glory of God is in Christ—and in Christ alone—then there is an unfailing determination on the part of the Lord Jesus to see that we get there.
Now, the more I go on with the Lord, the farther away from glory I feel. It is a comfort to me.
Early on in the ministry of the apostle Paul, he calls himself the least of all saints. But at the very end, he calls himself the chief of all sinners. The farther he went on with the Lord, the more conscious he was of how hopeless he was.
And in the end he spoke those words of faith:
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.
—2 Timothy 4:7-8
So it has to be with every one of us.
I am a Calvinist, I let you know. I do not care if it upsets anybody. I am a Calvinist. I believe everything else is heresy.
I believe long before I was raised, God prepared for me. I do not believe in a God Who accommodates Himself to human circumstances. That is an idol. You can only think what you think, say what you say, and do what you allow him to do.
I believe in a God Who is infinite. And I think the most wonderful thing for me is His unfailing determination to bring me to glory.
I think of the Scripture in Jude, that little letter, verses 24 and 25:
Now unto Him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of His glory without blemish in exceeding joy,
To the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and now, and for evermore. Amen.
—Jude 24-25
Writing to the Philippian church, the apostle said—and I think I had better read it, lest I misquote him; I do have to meet him one day:
Being confident of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.
—Philippians 1:6
Do you not think this is wonderful? And do you not think this is also wonderful?
But thanks be unto God, Who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savour of His knowledge in every place.
—2 Corinthians 2:14
Always leads us in triumph in Christ.
I will just say this. There is only one thing God requires of you—only one thing. It is proper simplicity. Listen: obedience.
When you and I have an argument with the Lord, when we rebel, then we nullify the grace of God.
Is that not terrible? This unfailing determination of the God of all grace to bring you to glory—we can neutralize His endeavours. We can nullify this determination by disobedience.
Is there anybody here this evening who has not disobeyed the Lord at some point? We have all done it. When it is confessed, we put it right. We learn from our mistake, our sin, our transgression. That is how it should be.
But I have lived long enough to see children of God who have lived in disobedience all their lives. They have become nothing but memorials of wasted grace.
They are like a graveyard: here lies the body of so-and-so, born so, died so. Once they were alive spiritually. Once they walked with the Lord. Once they knew the breath of God. Now they are among the dead.
Child of God, it is not perfection. It is not works. If you were to work to gain the whole world and become the biggest empire; if you were to reach the top of your profession; if you were somehow to make so much money that you could buy not one of these palaces round here, but a dozen—it is not worth it.
In so doing, you may have cut yourself out of the race. It is not worthwhile.
Because you were designed for God’s glory, created for His glory; and only when you get there will you understand just how much you were created for it and just how much your denial cost.
It is worthwhile—all the suffering, all the pain, all the time God can do something else.
After that ye have suffered a little while, shall Himself perfect, establish, strengthen you.
—1 Peter 5:10
May the Lord do it for every one of us this evening. Shall we pray?
Beloved Lord, You have called us to Your eternal glory in Christ. Let this truth dawn on us this night. By Your Spirit, make it a living reality to every one of us.
Lest we are living lives in disobedience, Lord, give us no rest, no peace, until in the end we confess how disobedient we have been and find our way back to You.
Lord, there is nothing more wonderful than Your unfailing determination to bring us to glory.
Help us, Lord. Help us, Lord. For we ask it in the name of our Messiah, the Lord Jesus.